National Health Mission (NHM) Mission Director Shilpa Prabhakar Satish, along with Madurai Collector M.S. Sangeetha, Corporation Commissioner K.J. Praveen Kumar and Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH) Dean A. Rathinavel, held a meeting with Tamil Nadu Government Doctors’ Association (TNGDA) members at the Collectorare on Monday.
Speaking to The Hindu, an official, who attended the meeting, said, “A State-level panel comprising senior gynaecologists and obstetricians will be constituted to monitor maternal deaths at government hospitals in future.”
The official said the committee, instead of accusing the doctors, would look into the best possible ways to improve the services rendered to the public. “Following the suggestions of the doctors, the committee members would be appointed,” the official added.
“Also, the procedures that should be followed by the doctors to record maternal deaths as per the National Medical Commission (NMC) would possibly be simplified after discussion with the officials and doctors,” the official added.
A. Ramesh, secretary, TNGDA, said, “We were asked by the officials to withdraw our demand to suspend City Health Officer (CHO) Vinoth Kumar, but we would have to decide on that only after consulting other association members.”
The issue of suspending the CHO and maternal death audits came to the fore after the deaths of three pregnant women inpatients at the GRH. As per the NMC guidelines, the Collector had submitted audit reports on the deaths of two women to the Health Department on September 3 and 7.